This invention relates generally to means for holding an open bag upright, and more particularly to such means for support of a plastic trash bag for trash receiving purposes.
Thin-walled plastic trash bags have come into widespread usage in recent years for the collection and disposal of trash and rubbish such as household garbage, wastepaper, raked leaves, grass clippings, and the like. Such bags are available at low cost as throw-away trash containers that can be loaded with discard material, then tied at the top for easy pickup by rubbish collectors or other disposal. These bags have served their purpose well, but their usage has heretofore presented certain problems. Because of their thin-walled nature, the bags cannot stand alone, and must be held open in some way while they are being filled with trash. This can be done manually, but with difficulty, and it usually requires the presence of two persons, one to hold the bag open while the other fills it with trash. Such a procedure can result in waste of bag space because of the difficulty of holding the bag open in a way to most effectively load it.
Another technique for loading plastic trash bags involves the use of a garbage or rubbish can, in which case the bag is opened inside the can and its upper end folded down around the can rim. After the bag is filled, it is pulled from the can and tied up for disposal. There are several disadvantages to this procedure, among which are the difficulty of removing the filled bag from the can, a tendency of the bag to slip down into the can after a certain amount of trash has been placed in it and incomplete loading of the bag because its shape does not conform to the can interior well enough to permit full-capacity loading thereof. Also, air trapped between the bag and can walls generally causes the bag to balloon inwardly when it is being loaded, thus increasing the difficulty of filling the bag to its true capacity with trash.
While we are aware of a bag-holding device having a pair of parallel rails over which the opposite sides of the top of a bag can be folded for support, this device is not entirely satisfactory because of a tendency of the bag wall to slide off of the rails as the bag is being loaded and an inherent inability of the device to spread the mouth of the bag in a way to insure most effective loading thereof.
Plastic trash bags are ideally suited for trash disposal use in recreational vehicles, such as campers and the like, on board boats, in camping areas, and in other places where living and storage space is at a premium. The above-noted disadvantages of bag loading techniques, however, carry over into the use of such bags here. Moreover, the bulky nature of garbage or trash cans makes their use as trash bag holders even less attractive in crowded camper, boat, and similar environments than in ordinary household environments, with adequate storage space for such cans.
In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that a clear need exists for some sort of means to support a plastic trash bag in open position for the receipt of trash as the bag is being filled, while permitting full-capacity loading of the bag and easy handling thereof for closure and disposal once it is filled.